One

CHAPTER 1

JAMES'S POV

IT WAS Worse than I'd expected.

I watched as well-suited men and women trooped in and out, all wanting the same thing I was there for.

I could easily be one of the top business tycoons on Wall Street, but deals like this were what made me the billionaire I am today.

While everything that had to do with my life was built on piles of money, I’d always been able to say not everything was that balanced as well.

My life was like a myriad built from the mirage of everything you want to see.

A billionaire, Thirty-two and counting, yet no woman had touched me recently.

There was all sense with why I could have my pick of beautiful women with that, but that part of my life had been touched deeply enough for any attachment to last beyond sex and u meaningful pleasure.

Maybe I had become too cynical about my experiences in life, but trusting a woman enough to make a relationship was not something I was so keen on.

The receptionist walked toward where I was, her heels echoing against the wooden floor with each step she took.

“Mr. James Fraser.” She said my name with a charming effect to it. “The boss will see you now.”

Her look lingered on me a bit and I could guess she knew who I was.

Inhaling for courage, I nodded in her direction as I made my way into the office.

A warm rush of anxiety ran down my spine, lighting up my brown eyes and giving me a brooding expression as I made my way to the office.

It was all that was needed now, all I had to do was close the deal.

**********

Leaning back, I rested a forearm on the table and focused my gaze on the man rolling a pen between his thumb and index finger.

The anger in me was glaring and was so strong that when I gulped it down, it burnt against my throat and chest.

I had been sitting there for close to thirty minutes listening to not even the man I had wanted to see but his deputy who had been whining away about how his boss was so keen on personal ethics.

“So are you telling me I can't sign this deal unless I am married?”

My eyes skimmed up an inch to find his face as he pretended to look bad and all please excuse disappointing me.

“I am sorry, Mr. Fraser, but it is just the ethics of the company.” He grimaced.

Wiping a hand across my mouth in an attempt to hide my amusement and pure disgust.

My gaze darkened, conveying I might just stand up and walk right out of the office, but something kept me down there on the chair.

This was a far-important deal and I needed to sort it out at that moment.

It seemed insane what they were asking for, but at the same time, I had no choice but to bend to their will.

“How long is the whole process?” I asked.

“You have a week and just that, or we give the deal to someone else.” He searched my face for an expression and could only find disappointment.

A flash of anger pulsed in my chest from everything and burned even hotter at the fact that I wasn't going to be celebrating the contract success today.

The annoying feeling rushed over me that after shaking his hands briefly, I had stormed out of the office, working on the knot of my tie as I made my way to my car parked outside.

I banged my fist against the steering wheel of the car in fury, thinking of how I was going to get myself out of the situation.

It burned.

Every bit of it, my lungs, my racing heart, my entirety.

Something had to wash this memory away.

I kept on replaying the words over and over again in my mind, a part of me was calling it all clouts, expecting that sooner or later, I would be called in again to adjust the terms of the contract.

Yet, I knew terms like this were hard to restructure, they asked for a wife … I had no choice but to give them one.

There was only one problem, how in the hell was I going to find a suitable woman in the whole of Salzburg in just one week?

The thought filled my mind as I drove out of the driveway.

Like the moonlight this evening, the candle’s flame flickered upon my false smiles with mesmerizing light.

Thinking back at my situation, the fact remains that I could hide the fact that I was worried from anyone but myself.

As the curtains blew in the light summer breeze, with the light casting a soft glow of my shadow against the wall.

It was another Cold—lonely night and despite having a good time and sending away the escort I had picked up along the way after paying her off, I still felt that blank space in my heart.

It could be a distant memory of a similar night over two centuries ago, she had pulled me through the torrid rainstorm that night to the front of a foster home.

I could remember the look in her eyes that night, as I was barely twelve.

This woman I had trusted so very much with the bits of my life.

It was the last I saw of my mother and while she had ruined my trust in women, I heard she was married off to another man somewhere far away, making me despise her the more.

I sat near the fire place with pictures of prospective women spewed over the floor, most all marked with a red X- sign.

My receptionist had looked surprised about the task I had given to her that afternoon at work, but it was the best I could do so far in finding a suitable wife.

Most of the pictures were prominent women from dating sites I guess and after checking the Pros and Cons that were there in dating each one of them, I had a total of zero woman in my mind.

It was the main reason I had literally chased the escort away, as I needed time to myself to think and not just fuck.

Slowly, it was looking glaring, I can do this all on my own.

Soon I got out my phone and scrolled through it looking for Marcus number.

“You were just the man I was thinking of.” Marcus baritone voice sounded over the call a bit deeper than usual.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was about to call and ask concerning the deal.”

“Well, I am calling me because of that.”

He sounded worried. “ Really, hope all is fine…like-”

“How fast can you make it to the Trout?” I cut him off, asking.

He fell silent for a brief seconds.” Let's say half an hour.”

“Good, we'd meet there.” I muttered.

The buzzing sound from the phone filled my ears as I dropped it over the counter, taking a long drag from my cigar before puffing out the smoke in a mist into the empty air.

I looked over another picture of an Irish woman, marking it red.

Filled with frustration, I took the whole pile and dropped it into the fire pit, watching as it burned while I puffed out more smoke slowly, putting the cigar out too.

I had half an hour to meet Marcus and just wasted ten minutes of it.

****************************

My phone flashed and buzzed with a notification from Marcus threatening to leave if I don't show up in the next ten minutes.

I could clearly see him from where I stood, whirling his fingers over a cup of whiskey while

flirting with a woman at the bar.

He had something I didn't and that was a fair share of women.

While I had the face and the money, he had the women, as there was always one to fill his bed every night, another luck I didn't have.

I made my way to the table slowly like I could, not wanting to soil this beautiful moment he was having.

He looked back just in time and saw me walking toward him.

“I was about leaving, you know.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I said with sheer sarcasm as the woman ran her polished nails along his back before walking away, winking at me as she swayed away.

“You must have a perfect reason for dragging me out under the rain.”

“Not that you have anything doing anyway than fucking one of those women.” I said with a jocular tone.

He chuckled softly as I snapped my fingers, beckoning at the waiter.

“Martini, iced and straight up.”

The waiter nods his head and walked away, coming back with a glass.

“ You must be distressed to be drinking that.” Marcus said after studying me for a while.

“Yeah, I am…” I took a sip, letting the drink burn into my soul.

He watched me throughout that while, I guess wondering what might be wrong as he had not seen me in a long while, looking this — Hopeless.

“What is wrong?” He asked finally.

“Remember that deal I told you about?”

“ Yeah, the one with the Gold and Silver company— Thought you've sealed that.”

“Well, same here.” I replied.

“ So, what happened?”

“ They asked that part of the term had to be me bringing in a third party.” I replied.

“ That is easy, is that what you are worried about?" He looked perplexed.

“ Yeah, not when the third party should be my legally married wife.”

“What?”

“ You heard it, we both know I don't have one.”

“ Can't you take just anyone?” Marcus grimaced.

“ We have to be married.”

We both looked to be surprised about the whole situation unfolding, while mine was receding with the drink, I could, he was in deep thought?

“I think we would be able to come up with something.” He muttered after a while.

“ Do you want a better twist?” I asked. “I have just one week.”

“ One week?” His eyes widened.

“ One week.”

“Damn!” He said, running his hands through his hair with a wide grin on his face.

“Don't worry, we will figure something-”

His phone buzzed, cutting his words off.

“ Let me answer this, it is my cousin knew in town” He muttered, standing.

I snapped my fingers at the waiter again

“Get me more drinks.” I muttered.

My mind was filled with diverse thoughts, but just like Marcus had said, everything in life had a loophole.